Interpreting in protection and status procedures
Immigration procedures turn on detail: dates, routes, names of places, sequences of events and the exact reason a person left their country. Interpreting these accounts requires precision in both directions. I render dates and place names exactly as given, including where the speaker is uncertain, and I do not reconcile inconsistencies — that assessment belongs to the caseworker or the tribunal, not to the interpreter.
Procedural language also has to be interpreted in full. Terms such as subsidiary protection, temporary humanitarian status, admissibility, appeal deadlines and reporting conditions carry precise legal consequences. Where no equivalent exists in Somali or Arabic, I interpret the term and flag that the caseworker may need to explain it, rather than inventing a definition.
Immigration settings across Malta
I attend appointments with public authorities, legal representatives and NGOs providing immigration and protection support throughout Malta.
Asylum interviews and appeals
Registration and substantive interviews, credibility questioning, appeals before the International Protection Appeals Tribunal and related legal consultations.
Residence, registration and documentation
Residence permit appointments, identity documentation, renewals, address and status updates, and related administrative meetings.
Detention and reception settings
Interpreting in detention services, reception and open centres, welfare interviews and NGO visits.
NGO casework
Sessions with JRS Malta, AWAS and UNHCR partners covering intake, case management, family reunification and onward referrals.
Handling sensitive accounts
Protection interviews often require people to describe persecution, detention, violence, loss of family members or a dangerous sea crossing. My practice is trauma-informed: I keep the register faithful to the speaker without amplifying or flattening it, I allow silence rather than filling it, and I keep my own reactions out of the room.
I never coach, prompt or shape an account. Suggesting an answer would compromise both the applicant's case and my own integrity as an interpreter. What the person says is what the caseworker receives.
Confidentiality
Everything disclosed in an immigration appointment is strictly confidential and is never discussed outside it, including within the applicant's own community. This matters especially in Malta's small and closely connected Somali and Arabic-speaking communities, where a breach of confidence could put someone at real risk. Conflicts of interest are disclosed before the assignment begins.
Booking
Send me the authority or organisation, the appointment type, the date and time, the expected duration and the language required. Scheduled interviews are best booked early; urgent appointments can often be accommodated.
Frequently asked questions
Do you interpret for asylum interviews in Malta?
Yes. I interpret for registration and substantive asylum interviews, appeals and related legal consultations in Somali, Arabic and English.
Can you attend residence and immigration appointments?
Yes, including residence permit appointments, renewals, documentation and administrative meetings with authorities.
Will you help the applicant answer questions?
No. I interpret faithfully and impartially. Coaching or shaping an account would harm the applicant's case and breach professional standards.
Is what is said in the interview confidential?
Yes, absolutely, including within the applicant's own community. Confidentiality is central to this work.
Book an interpreter in Malta
Tell me the setting, the language pair, the date and the location anywhere in Malta. Most requests are answered the same day, and urgent attendance is often possible.